Star Wars: Aliens and Seditious Acts
by Sea Beam
Summary: A teenage boy wants to serve the Empire. Or, at least he thinks he does. This is my very first story.


Aliens and Seditious Acts

Sometimes I think I'm just a frustrated Stormtrooper. Or maybe I like to think that, once in a while, the good guys wear masks. I look at the Wookie. His shaggy face is a battlefield of emotions, shock and relief warring across his features as he learns that he is, once again, a free Being. It is a sentiment he roars to a gaggle of beings of all shapes and sizes, newly freed, and just beyond the hatch. He stares at me, searching for some hint of my features. I smile under my mask. He isn't the first person to do that. I like my mask, my helmet with its vaguely Mandalorian eye slit and snout like air filtration component. It hides my shame and it hides my guilt. But, the Wookie's nascent freedom makes me happy. His joy is a solvent to scrub the stain of my betrayal and my foolish belief in an evil system. I am a slaver. I buy Beings, not for my own profit, but for my own redemption. I turn to my Twi'lek first mate, similarly armored, his light brown lekku coming out from under a helmet. I can't see his eyes either as they are hidden behind a glowing red optical line. But his filed teeth are free to form a feral grin as he pumps his fist into the air.

Break in the story

Green turbolaser bolts streak past the transparisteel windows of the flight deck. Papa bent the controls of his ship, the _Belle Epoque,_ to his will with rapidity and precision. "Nestor!" he shouted. "The Gozanti's just launched TIEs. Are the missiles ready yet?"

Nestor Toka, a close friend of Papa and fellow veteran of the Clone Wars, sat in the co-pilot's seat. His broad frame overflowing the acceleration chair, Toka's almost too long arms furiously punched in targeting information. He muttered, half to himself, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Papa shot back at him, "You got us into this." His voice took on a mocking edge. "'We're doing the right thing,' you said."

Toka said, "We are doing the right thing, Artur. I just didn't think my retirement would come about in so dramatic a fashion."

"Well, you always did say you wanted to stick it to the Navy when you got out."

"I hadn't quite pictured killing people."

"Hopefully, we won't have to," Papa replied. He keyed the comm, his voice steady. "Sweetheart, please don't shoot unless I tell you to."

My mother's worried voice echoed back an affirmative. Mama and my older sister, Elsa, manned the ventral and dorsal turrets on my parent's ship. Turning to me he said, "where is the navicomputer on the jump coordinates, Jake?"

My hands sweating in their armored gauntlets, I called up the calculation status. I tried not to let my fear show in my voice. "60%, Papa."

Without reply, my father pushed on the throttle, although it was already at the stops. The ship, a Kuat Fartrader, was a relatively large and shaped like a blunt arrowhead, the flight deck at the tip. It was twisting and turning under my father's expert guidance. He always jokingly referred to the ship as his "mini Star Destroyer." I continued to see green energy beams reaching out for us, and sailing past the forward viewport. A new voice, clipped and efficient, crackled over the hailer. "This is Captain Hannaver of the Imperial Light Cruiser _Spite_. Come to a full stop and lower your shields or you will be destroyed."

"Jake?" Papa called out, his voice calm, like he was ordering a meal.

"80%," I responded. I wasn't nearly as calm.

Papa spoke into the hailer almost conversationally, " _Spite_ , we're coming to a stop. Just give us a few moments to power down our engines." He pulled back on the throttle. I hoped it would be over soon. Then the ship shuddered as a couple TIEs roared ahead of us, their laser cannon bolts playing across the shields. A tiny green light winked to life on the main hyperdrive panel. Papa keyed the hailer again, "We're dropping the shields now." He actually turned them off and a split second later pushed another button. The starfield outside the ship elongated and gelled into the iridescent blue of hyperspace.

Papa sighed with relief and removed his helmet, slipping out of the safety webbing and stood up. "I can't believe they responded so intensely."

Toka, clad in a crisp Imperial officer's uniform with the rank pips of a full Commander said, "Me neither." He had a wide face with a broad nose that looked like it had been broken and healed without bacta treatments. "It makes no sense. The paperwork was in order and everyone knew the garrison commander was going on a joy ride with an old war buddy. What raised their suspicion?"

Papa threw up his hands in frustration. "I don't know. But we should go talk to our passengers. I think I know where I want to take them, but I'd at least like to talk it over with them first." I was half rising out of my seat to join them when he turned to me and said, "Stay here until Elsa arrives and then come help us in the hold."

I nodded my head in agreement and slumped back down into the acceleration chair. I didn't take off my helmet. My world had been shattered in a day. Just yesterday, we had landed on one of the prettiest worlds in the Outer Rim and I was looking forward to a couple of easy days riding my speeder bike around while Mama and Elsa negotiated a cargo of the local wine, supposedly famous across three sectors. We've been a nomadic trading family ever since my father's retirement a year and a half after the Clone wars ended. That was my life. Now, we were being chased by the Empire, an Empire I hoped to serve one day.

Elsa didn't keep me waiting long. The hatch to the flight deck whooshed open and her tall, slender form walked on to the bridge. We were a family of stick figures, all height and no girth and all shared brown eyes and black hair. Elsa, in contrast to me, had grown out of her teenage awkwardness. "Hey little brother," she said as she eased herself into the co-pilot's chair.

"Hey back," I replied.

"How you holding up?" she asked. We got along well, or as well as a 16 year boy and an 19 year old girl could in a relatively small ship, but did so by mostly staying out of each other's way.

"I'm okay. But that was some crazy stuff back there. I've never seen Papa fly like that before."

"You should have been in one of the bubble guns. It was amazing. A couple of times I had to close my eyes because of how everything was spinning. But what I really want to know is what happened, exactly?"

I chose my words carefully, thankful for how the helmet modulated my voice. "I'm in the dark as much as you are." Elsa seemed to consider that and the lie left a burnt taste in my mouth. She was very smart and inherited mama's business sense, something without Papa would be just like every other broke and broken trader in the rim. I hated lying to her and I didn't want to wait for a response. "Papa said he wanted me in the cargo hold, so I better go."

"Keep your chin up, little brother," she said. "We'll get through this."

I didn't go to the cargo hold like I said. Walking aft, I stopped at the owners' quarters and headed to my own cabin. I pulled off my helmet and threw it on my bunk. I sat down at my desk and punched up the HoloNet and the contact for this sector's ISB office. I already had notified the ISB on Garmish where we picked up the Twi'leks. _Why did they shoot at us?_ It was a question that repeated in my head. _They were supposed to have handled it peaceably_. Maybe Toka had good reason to release the Twi'leks. He did serve with Papa. He was an Imperial Navy Commander and he said he didn't know why they were sent to him. Toka swore me to secrecy but I told the ISB anyway. He should have followed orders. Any COMPNOR youth knows that.

Finally, the holo came to life. A blue tinted female human in an Imperial uniform sprang to life on my holo project. "ISB Hotline. What do you have to report?"

"Uhh, this is Jake Grune," I said. I gave my citizen and COMNOR youth ID numbers. "I am following up on an earlier report."

"Go on."

"This is about the Imperial prisoners on Garmish."

"Garmish," she repeated, looking down as if consulting a screen. She looked up. "You the citizen who reported this on Garmish?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"Hold on, please." Her image was replaced by hold screen showing the Imperial logo. I sighed nervously and glanced around the dark grey walls of my cabin, and settled my eyes on the flat posters affixed to the bulkhead; the Biker Scout, the deck officer on an Imperial Star Destroyer, the TIE fighter pilot.

The hold screen vanished and, in place of the female ISB officer's visage, the upper body of an older human male sprang from the projector. He was bald but for bushy prominent sideburns and his warm voice contrasted with his sharp, angular features. "Hi, son, I am Major Plum."

"Sir."

"Your COMPNOR record is very impressive and I can tell from your call that you are loyal to your emperor and the Empire." I felt a flush of pride at this. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice, "Can I trust you with a very important secret?" I started to sweat. This was the second time in less than a standard day that a senior officer begged my confidence. I already broke my first promise. But wasn't my loyalty to the Empire more important? As if he sensed my discomfort, the ISB man spoke again, "Son, this is very important to the safety of your family."

"You can trust me."

"Swear on your honor and on your loyalty to the emperor to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret, even from your family."

I could barely hear my own voice. "I swear it, on my honor and on my loyalty to the emperor."

There was a tight smile. "Good, son."

"The Twi'leks your parents brought on board are criminals. Some are murderers and all are traitors to the empire. A few of them murdered the Emperor's own Stormtroopers," he said. "Nestor Toka is also very likely a traitor to the empire.

I said nothing.

Major Plum continued. "Do you have what it takes to serve your emperor?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"You must find out where the criminals are being taken and contact me again. Do you think you can do that, son?"

I nodded nervously.

Again, the tight, toothless smile that did not reach his eyes. "Good, good. If you demonstrate your loyalty, I think we can overlook your parents' involvement in this and secure you a seat at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant. Your family is originally from Chandrila, so I think you'll fit in fine there. Until you turn eighteen, we can get you a slot in one of the junior Imperial academies. Best to be among your own kind. Besides, other than this, episode," he said, spitting out the word "episode" like he just ate something rotten, "your father's service was exemplary. Perhaps you can convince him to see reason and not abandon his loyalty or his honor."

The fear that rose up inside me was powerful and unexpected, but I kept my voice steady, "Sir, I'll try my best."

"Contact me when you know where your ship is headed," he replied. The blue head and torso abruptly vanished.

I jumped up from my desk, grabbed my helmet and headed aft to the cargo hold, which was the largest space in the ship. At the very rear of the hold near ramp, I saw my parents, Toka, and a gaggle of Twi'leks of all different sizes and colors clustered in an open space among the containers.

I could hear the agitated babble of the Twi'leks. Almost all of them were slumped on the deck, massaging joints impaired by shackles, talking to each other in their own language and occasionally voicing random questions at the humans. A lone matriarch, her hands as gnarled as the wooden cane on which they rested, stood by serenely. Her Basic was flawless, with only the faintest trace of an accent. "This is certainly a change of events. Why does the Empire enslave us and then free us?"

My parents and Toka looked at each other, but Mama spoke first. "We're not with the Empire."

Toka sounded bashful. "Well, I was until, I think, this morning."

The matriarch looked coldly at Toka's officer's uniform and then at us. "You all have an Imperial air about you. Maybe it's the armor."

Papa, inclined his head in an almost bow. "Just so. We haven't been introduced. My name is Artur Grune." With one hand he indicated the slim, raven haired form of my mother. "This is my wife, Anna." The Twi'lek matriarch gave my mother a similarly respectful nod of the head. "And this," gesturing to Toka, "is Commander Nestor Toka, possibly late of Imperial Navy."

Toka bowed slightly.

Mama asked the old Twi'lek, "What is your name?"

"Oh," she said waspishly, "I go variously by 'slave,' 'you,' or 'Twi'lek.'"

Papa frowned. "Madam, slavery is outlawed by the Empire."

"Perhaps you are mistaken." Her sarcasm was delicate.

Papa was about to respond when Mama gently laid a hand on his arm and chose her words carefully. "Perhaps, but we risked our lives and those of our children to save yours this morning. Please give us the courtesy of a little gratitude for what we lost."

"What you lost?" the matriarch snorted, her voice rising. "What you lost? A comfortable retirement on an Imperial pension? No more false honors from that little worm who calls himself Emperor?"

I exploded in anger. Striding forward, I shouted, "How dare you speak of the Emperor like that! A creature like you isn't worthy to clean his boots. Apologize, right now."

Her laugh, papery with age, but still rich in vigor, filled the cargo bay. "Apologize?" The Twi'lek chortled with contempt. "Apologize. For what, being treated as a thing? To be used and thrown away? Should I be discarded more quietly, my young Stormtrooper?" Her eyes flashed with mockery. It did not matter that I had almost a meter on her, nor was she intimidated in the slightest by my armor or helmet. My rage was visceral, tangible, and if it weren't for the strong arms of both Toka and my father, I would have launched myself at her then and there.

They held me as I ranted incoherently. Once I stopped struggling, Papa pushed me away from the Twi'leks. Mama said sternly, "Jake, apologize, right now!" I glanced at my father, but his countenance brooked no argument. He added, "and take that helmet off when you do it."

Fighting my parents once they made up their mind was futile. I removed my helmet, bowed at the waist, and formally apologized to the old Twi'lek. To my surprise she responded, "I too apologize for my outburst. You did set us free and I am very grateful for that. I am beyond caring, but my companions do not deserve a life of servitude and suffering."

Mama smiled. "Tempers flare when one is being shot at. Let's forget it. Look, we know you've been through a lot, but we need to get you somewhere. Considering that the Empire attacked us as we were leaving Garmish, it needs to be done quickly. And we still don't know your name."

"You may call me Vela," she said. I didn't realize it then, but over the years, I learned that she was of a sort that considered herself already dead, and asked nothing further of the galaxy. A being with nothing to lose had great courage.

Papa said, "About them, we have some food and clothing that they can use and they're welcome to the beds and showers in our passenger cabins. It will be more comfortable than these." He indicated the containers with a look of distaste. "Let's get your people cleaned up. And then we can talk destinations,"

Turning to me, he said, "Jake, help get the clothing and ration packs Nestor had brought on board to the passenger quarters, so our passengers can wash and change." I opened my mouth, about to protest, but closed again once I saw the look on my parents' faces.

Apart from two younglings who were with their parents, there was only one other young Twi'lek among the group. He had light brown skin and yellow eyes and was full of energy. Seeing me get clothes and rations, he began to help. "Ree," he said, pointing to himself. It was obvious he didn't speak Basic well.

"Jake," I said, also pointing to myself.

"How old?"

"Sixteen standard years. You?"

The Twi'lek looked like he was searching for the right word. "Ate-teen."

"My sister is eighteen. You're an adult. Are you going to apply to the…" I stopped myself short. Of course, he wasn't going to apply to an Imperial academy. _He's an alien._ I felt stupid.

Our arms full, Ree and I led the Twi'leks to the passenger quarters. Getting enough for everyone took a few trips. Kuat Fartraders were sold to prosperous trading families who normally plied the Core and Mid-Rim worlds. A rarer sight in the Outer Rim, it wasn't they typical junker flown by dead-enders who pretended to be smugglers. Since we lived on our ship, Mama's business sense meant a lot of credits were poured back into it. The passenger quarters themselves were well-appointed and almost elegant. It barely registered to me, but Ree and the others stared at the luxury. The Twi'leks were in the process of washing and changing. They were the basic jumpsuit any Imperial crewer would wear, but much better than the rags the Twi'leks were discarding. Vela made a point of cutting off the Imperial emblem. I was annoyed by it, but held my tongue. Once clean and dressed, the Twi'leks tore into the ration packs like they were the best meal they had ever eaten.

Elsa wandered into the passenger compartment and looked around at the Twi'leks, who were eating and talking softly. "Hey, little brother."

"Hey, yourself."

"Mama and Papa would like if the Twi'lek elder could come up to our part of the ship to discuss where we can drop them off."

I tried to keep any excitement out of my voice. "Oh, ok. Mind if I tag along?"

She shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Vela agreed to come to the owner's quarters. Ree, well within earshot also looked hopeful. "Come too?" he asked.

"Sure, Ree," I told him.

Compared to the passenger section, the owner's saloon had a much more cozy, lived in feel. Our dining table could seat six. Mama and Papa rose in deference to Vela, who twitched her lekku in what I assumed was a bit of embarrassment. She cut an odd figure in her Imperial jumpsuit and Twi'lek sandals, but her age and the weight of her experiences lent her a gravity that was hard to define. Ree and I didn't have a seat at the table, but I grabbed a couple more chairs and motioned him to sit, still within earshot.

Mama offered Vela something to eat or drink. She declined. I got Ree and myself a caff. "How is everyone settling in?" Mama asked.

"Very well. Your son was a big help. We thank you for the food, baths, and clothes. Most of my fellows are getting some needed rest." Her lekku twitched again, and she smiled in a deliberate manner, as if unpracticed with human facial expressions. "When one is my age, however, sleep is infrequent, and sometimes unwelcome."

Mama smiled back at her. "I'm glad you were able to make yourselves comfortable."

"And it brings us to the central question: where am I taking you?" Papa asked.

Vela thought about that. "Could you take us to Ryloth?"

Papa shook his head. "We're not smugglers. I don't think we'd be able you to your home world. Ryloth has a large Imperial presence, and I don't think we could get you on world unnoticed." Vela frowned and Ree looked at me. Papa held his hands up. "But, there is a place where the Empire has no presence and a lot of traders who could smuggle you back to Ryloth."

"Where is this place?" Vela asked.

Mama called up a galaxy map on her portable computer. "There is a port; Mina Drwysh. It's in a star nursery called the Marianas Abyssal. The port has always been off every major power's map because it is so hard to get to." My heart started beating faster at the revelation of our destination.

Vela looked at my parents, and then at Captain Toka. "Are there any other options?"

"I don't have their experience," Toka offered, running his hand through his iron grey hair. "They've spent many years travelling the Outer Rim. But I know of the place, and what they say is true."

Mama said, "There are some other options, but they're not better ones. They either have an Imperial presence or are controlled by some gangster or warlord."

"The Exchange or the Hutts will have even less compunction than the Empire about putting you back into bondage," Papa added.

Vela leaned forward. "The Empire must not tell you much. Among my people, there are rumors of many labor camps around the galaxy; whispers of some monstrous project."

Papa snorted in disbelief and I silently agreed with him. "What kind of project?"

Vela both shrugged and did something with her lekku that I guessed was the Twi'lek equivalent. "I've only heard that it's a weapon of some kind. A massive weapon of unimaginable power."

Papa looked at Toka, who pursed his lips. "I've never heard of it, or anything like it. When those containers with you folks inside came to Garmish, I thought it was some mistake. I tried, through official channels, to get you freed, but nobody would return my calls. I was told to hold on to you, but nothing more. Then Artur showed up; it was a real stroke of luck."

Papa smiled at that. "Nestor, I mean Commander Toka, and I served together in the Clone Wars, and, after the war ended, in the Imperial Navy. We've been friends for a long time and adept at bending the rules."

Toka continued, "I thought I could just lose the cargo," Vela wrinkled her mouth at the word. "and fix the problem. I still don't know why we were attacked leaving Garmish. Maybe one of my subordinates betrayed us?"" My stomach lurched at the last part.

"Still," said Mama, "Mina Drwysh is loose enough that you could get smuggled anywhere you want to go, and yet respectable enough that you could stay and build lives there. With the Empire hunting you, it will be off the beaten path, for sure."

Vela steepled her hands, "I guess it's settled, then." She looked at my parents and Toka. "Whatever your motivations, thank you for helping us."

"The Malacca Abyssal is very difficult to navigate, it takes a lot of micro jumps to get to the port," Papa said. "We're in deep space right now and the odds of anyone finding us are incredibly slim. Let's all get a few hours of rest and then we'll be on our way."

Vela excused herself to check on her people. Ree, showing a protective streak, tried to assist her. She brushed him off, saying irritably, "I can walk unaided, thank you very much."

I excused myself, walking back to my cabin. For the first time since this whole thing started, I doubted my actions. Toka, on Garmish, made me promise not to tell when he first revealed the existence of the Twi'lek slaves. It was just the three of us; Toka, Papa and me. Back there, I was convinced he was running some sort of scam, and Major Plum's declaration that the Twi'leks were criminals solidified that impression. But Vela, Ree, and the others didn't seem like criminals. They seemed like the vast multitude of ordinary beings that I saw on a multitude of worlds that we visited on our travels. The other side of my brain argued back, _But the Empire is good. Didn't Papa always say how corrupt the Republic was?_

I hesitated, but still punched up ISB on the comm. The aquiline face of Major Plum appeared in the holo projector. "Master Grune. What have found out? Did you get your ship's destination?"

"I did, sir."

When I didn't continue, he said, "It's okay, son. You can do this."

"Mina Drwysh," I said, softly.

"Where?"

"Mina Drwysh. I don't know where it is, exactly. It's in some place called the Mariana Abyssal. Papa said that it's a star nursery."

Plum frowned. It was obvious he had no idea where that was. "Do you have coordinates?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

"Okay, see if you can get the coordinates."

"Yes, sir." The holo image vanished.

I was at a loss for what to do. Sleeping would have been impossible and I didn't want to stay in my cabin, alone with my thoughts. I headed out and started wandering the ship. Most of the Twi'leks were asleep, but Ree was still awake. He wanted to talk. Despite the language barrier, we discovered a mutual interest in speeder bikes. Ree told me about his. "On Ryloth, I was building an old bike. It was a Kata-Na 6000. I would get parts from local sellers or other old bikes."

"Want to see our bikes?" I asked him.

"Yes!" He said, lekku twitching rapidly.

My parents had bought me a brand-new S-Mil-RR less than a standard year ago. It was one of the fastest and most responsive bikes on the market. Ree was almost drooling when he saw it. "Go ahead, get on it," I said.

He swung a leg over the seat and grasped the controls competently. He had a very human smile, showing me his filed teeth. "I would love to ride it."

"Well, um, maybe when we get to Drwysh," I said. I thought about ISB and the call I was supposed to place. Ree did not seem like a criminal.

"At Dervish, can I get armor?" Ree asked.

The change of subject was surprising. "Huh?"

"Armor, like yours."

I laughed. "We don't have to wait until Dervish for that."

"Why?"

"We probably have some extra stuff we could give you."

"I could no take."

"Yes, you can. C'mon, follow me." My family stored bits of old armor in a storage locker off the cargo hold. We were womp rats and saved everything. I got Ree suited up in one of Papa's old bodysuits; it was only a little baggy. Then I strapped the hard parts. Not perfect, but it worked well enough. The only real problem was the helmet. Ree's lekku would be in the way. I grabbed a helmet and said, "Let's go Ree."

"Why do you wear armor?" Ree asked as I was working the plastoid fabricator in the ship's small workshop. I thought about that. Papa always said it was so that pirates would think of us as a hard target and pick on someone else, but I harbored a suspicion that it was more than that. Lots of beings in the Outer Rim wore helmets or masks for practical or cultural reasons and it seemed like a good way to hide. "For, safety, I guess."

"From the Empire?" Ree asked.

"No, from pirates. Why would the Empire hurt us?"

"They hurt us."

The COMPNOR lines came easily, "The Empire brings peace, order, and justice to the galaxy."

"Not on Ryloth."

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Ree, are you a criminal?"

"Crim in all?" he replied. The Basic word was unfamiliar.

"Yeah, someone who commits crimes, who does bad things."

"Why you ask that? I do not do bad things."

"Well, you were being held by the Empire, I just thought." I didn't finish the sentence and just looked down at my tall boots.

"The soldiers told me I would work for the Empire. My parents were dead and I needed to work, so I said yes to the Empire work."

"Why would they chain you up if you were going to work?"

"I don't know. The Empire does many bad things on Ryloth, but the soldier who offered work seemed nice."

Finishing as we spoke, I held up the modified helmet. I had cut out half the back so it easily accommodated Ree's lekku. I put the helmet on his head. His eyes were hidden by a thin, glowing line containing the helmet's optics but his grin was visible. "Empty spaces!" Ree exclaimed.

What he said didn't make any sense to me, but his voice had a very human like measure of satisfaction. "Do you like it?"

His sharpened teeth made him look fierce. "I do."

We sat on crates in the cargo hold and talked for a while longer. From the differences between Humans and Twi'leks, to speeder bikes, to comparing Ryloth and my spacer life, we talked about a lot of subjects. I enjoyed the conversation. It was the first time I could get close to a being my own age who wasn't my family. Not just another being, but an alien. Sure, I had seen them from afar, but never talked at length. Ree was different, maybe a little strange. It was fun knowing I could share interests with a being that was so different. Time flew by and before long, both of us were finding it impossible to stay awake. We agreed to finally get some sleep and I stumbled to my cabin, stripped out of my armor and crawled into my bunk, falling asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Jedi tapeworms are just a myth

Mama and Papa were already on the bridge by the time I woke up, dressed, and made it there. The forward viewport was filled with the deep indigo and violet gas clouds of the Mariana Nebula. We jumped there while I was asleep. I whistled softly at the beauty of it. I'd seen some nebulae in my time aboard ship, but this one was breathtaking. "I didn't know we were already here."

Papa winked at me. "You slept longer than I did."

"What are the coordinates?" I blurted out.

Mama laughed. "What, don't trust that your father knows how to navigate?" I laughed too, but nervously. They already plotted the next microjump because the starfield elongated, and within seconds we were in the nebula.

Papa said, "These microjumps are difficult to plot, but if we want to get there safely, we have to avoid the clusters of very young stars being born."

The next several minutes were tense, but Mama and Papa knew what they were doing and we safely emerged in the Drwysh system. The ice moon that held the settlement of Mina Drwysh, closely orbited a large, ringed, gas giant.

Well into the gas giant's gravity well with the ice moon directly ahead of us, the sensor panel started chirping softly. Without even looking, I knew the Empire had found us. "Contacts!" Mama called to Papa, an edge of nervousness in her voice. "Three of them."

My combat veteran father was much calmer, "What are their drive signatures?"

"It looks like two Gozanti frigates and an Imperial Light Cruiser."

"How could they have found us here?" Papa asked.

My heart dropped. _How did they find us?_ I stared at the deck plating. Papa pushed the throttles to the stops. "Do they know it's us?"

"It's hard to tell," Mama replied, shaking her head.

"Anna, get Elsa and man the guns." Mama got up and stepped through the hatch. He turned to me, "Jake, get on the sensor console, now."

"Yes, Papa."

He tapped the comms. "We have trouble brewing. Family and friends, kit up. Nestor Toka, your presence is requested on the flight deck." He nosed the ship toward the gas giant and called over his shoulder. "I'm hoping to lose them in the gas giant's thermosphere."

Soon the viridian gasses of the giant blocked out the cobalt and indigo of the nebula surrounding it. I didn't have time to admire the beauty, keeping my face glued to the sensor console. "Papa, eight more contacts."

"The Gozantis launched TIEs." The atmosphere of the gas giant was getting denser and orange plumes could be seen around the viewport as the gasses heated up the ship's hull. Papa kept pushing the ship deeper into the atmosphere of the gas giant. "Hopefully, when we're deep enough, we can exit away from the TIEs so the planet blocks our sensor signature."

The ship dived deeper into the thickening atmosphere of the gas giant. "Jake, did I ever tell you why I left the navy?"

Where was this coming from? "Um, no Papa you didn't."

"It was after the Clone Wars ended. Times were strange then. The Jedi attempted to murder the chancellor, but were stopped by the Grand Army. Then, the Separatist's droid armies all deactivated simultaneously."

I didn't know what to say to that and looked at the sensor board. "Papa, contact is fading on the TIE fighters."

"I stayed on in the navy for a year and a half after that. I had an extremely good combat reputation. But I didn't always follow the rules. Whether it was better equipment for my ship or better conditions for my men, I sometimes let my heart guide me."

"But isn't order and obedience the foundation of the Empire? What about the good of the whole?"

"That's what the Empire teaches. And at least part of it is true. You never experienced the corruption of the Republic. It was, in many ways, rotten to the core. But you also never saw the chaos and carnage of the Clone Wars. I lost so many friends and so many beings died."

I remained silent and my father continued. "Son, right is right, and wrong is wrong. A little over a year after the end of the war, I was tasked with rooting up some holdout Separatists. They were just civilian refugees, with no fight left in them."

"What happened?" I asked him. Despite my fear at the situation, Papa had never told me anything about the Clone Wars and I was interested to hear more.

"They offered to surrender, but I had orders to eradicate them. I couldn't do it. The crew of my ship, mostly clones, had fought with me through thick and thin for years. They would have flown the ship into a star if I ordered it and like me, they had seen enough suffering and death. We let the sep civilians escape and leveled the structures. I retired soon after that."

I just looked at him. "And the Twi'leks?"

"I don't know what's going on, but slavery is wrong, and I don't think Vela is lying about that weapons project. Or at least she thinks she is telling the truth. Just because the Republic fell, doesn't mean corruption vanished from the galaxy."

"I told the Empire, Papa. I told them about the Twi'leks."

My father's reply was quiet. "I know, son. The response at Garmish could be attributed to someone on planet, but their finding us here? Maybe I was wrong to let you get into all that COMPNOR stuff."

"Papa...," I stuttered.

"In for a credit, I suppose. They're not going to let this go and we can't turn ourselves in now. Something odd is going on here with these Twi'leks."

"Maybe we can surrender? Aren't you loyal? Don't you care about your honor?"

"I am loyal, or I guess I was loyal. But honor isn't given to you by someone else; it's inside you. What do you think will happen to these Twi'leks if we surrender? Our family might make it through, maybe. But what about Toka, what about the Twi'leks? Can your honor permit their deaths?"

Suddenly the sensor board started chirping at me. I couldn't keep the panic out of my voice. "Papa! The TIEs found us."

I felt the engines roar to life as the ship surged forward. "Get on the missile control," Papa ordered. I jumped up from my seat and rushed over to the weapons station. There was no point hiding in the thermosphere, Papa pushed the _Belle Epoque_ away from the gas giant.

It was at that moment that Toka came on to the bridge. Papa said, "I'm glad you could grace us with your presence. Take the co-pilot's chair." Toka looked at me on weapons and back at Papa, and slid into the other control seat.

He asked, "Have they hailed us?"

"No," Papa replied. "They're just chasing us."

"Have you tried to contact them?"

I looked from Toka to Papa. Papa said, "Do you think it will do any good?"

Toka shook his head. "I think they mean to kill us."

I felt a lump in my throat. Alarms started sounding and the ship shuddered under the impact of laser cannon blasts from the TIEs as they opened fire. As we cleared the atmosphere of the gas giant, Papa pressed the ship-wide comm. "Hold fire people, we're going to jump to hyperspace." Releasing the comm he said to Toka, "Nestor, plot an emergency jump. "

"On it," said Toka. He was working on the jump when his terminal exploded in a shower of sparks and the whole ship shuddered violently. Toka tried to shield himself from the blast. He said, "We just lost the hyperdrive. It must have been a lucky turbolaser hit from one of the big ships."

Papa cursed in frustration and keyed the comms. "Weapons free." I heard the thudding of our ship's two laser cannot turrets and Mama and Elsa opened fire. We had faced marauders or pirates a few times in our lives, but they always looked for easy pickings and an armed ship sent them running. The Imperials had no such fear. "Jake plot a missile solution and open fire."

I targeted the TIE fighters. I couldn't believe I was doing this. My dream was to fight in the Imperial military, not fight the Imperial military. "Why can't we just surrender?"

Papa and Toka looked at each other. The ship shuddered under more cannon blasts. Papa said "Son, you saw how those Twi'leks were chained up. They're not going to just let us surrender."

"Maybe it was a mistake." I said, somewhat desperately.

Toka spoke up. "And shooting us now is also just a mistake? The Garmish orbital garrison trying to shoot their own garrison commander a mistake?"

"But…"

Papa finally lost his cool and shouted at me. "Target the Forceforsaken TIEs!" I sat there, frozen.

Toka jumped up and pushed me aside. I landed on the deck plates. He quickly punched in a target lock on our ship's missile launchers. There were eight TIEs and our bays held 24 missiles. Toka launched them all. I saw the fast flashing blips of the missiles streaking toward their targets. With three concussion missiles per TIE, they didn't really stand a chance. They were much faster than our ship, but not faster than the missiles. Three of them flew past us and I could see them in the forward viewport, missiles hot on their tails and vaporizing them only seconds later. Three more dropped completely off our scanner, likely destroyed as well. One seemed to evade the missiles entirely, and the last was so crippled that the sensors registered it dropping to a complete stop. "TIEs neutralized!" Toka called.

The shiny white ice moon filled the viewport. Papa said, "Nestor, the distress beacon. Activate it now," Papa said. Toka raised the clear plastoid cover over the emergency distress beacon and pushed the button.

Then, everything went sideways. Multiple turbolaser blasts found our ship and shook it violently, quickly overloading our shields. I instinctively flinched away from the explosion, covering my helmeted head with my hands and felt stupid about it. The feedback from the failing shields caused panels around the flight deck to explode, showering us in sparks. Bits of plastoid and durasteel ricocheted through the compartment.

I looked up and saw my father slumped in the pilot's seat. "Papa!"

My father groaned from pain. "Nestor, your ship," he said, using the traditional naval expression when relinquishing command.

I looked at Toka. He wasn't wearing armor and took half a dozen hits from the exploding panels, but miraculously, none of his wounds looked serious. Toka settled in the co-pilots chair. "My ship," he replied. He turned to me. "Kid, get the medpack and help your father." He took the co-pilot's yoke, and as he did so, my father slumped forward.

I grabbed the medical kit on the bulkhead and rushed over to Papa and I gingerly laid him out on the deck. Two spear points of durasteel inserted had found gaps in his armor, one in his abdomen and another one in his hip and thigh. I cursed the evil luck and grabbed a bacta pack wrapping it around one wound and then repeating it on the other. My father groaned in pain. "Hang in there, Papa," I said. I pulled off my father's helmet and placed it under his feet. I yanked my own off as well, and dimly heard it clattering across the deck.

My father looked at me, his eyes intense with the strain of the battle and the pain of his wounds. "Son," he said, coughing. "Do the right thing in life. Don't be swayed by false honors, real honor is in here." He poked my chest for emphasis. I had no response.

However, the colony of Mina Drwysh did. "Unidentified vessel, we are rendering assistance. Proceed to the Mina Drwysh starport, landing pad 19." That voice came through the external comms. Two dozen fighters of every size and description and three converted freighters, bristling with weaponry, filled the forward viewport. They engaged the Imperial forces at point blank range, but my attention was elsewhere, pressing bacta packs on the wounds of my father.

Star Destroyers are awesome

Three beings sit around a softly lit table in an upscale cantina on Mina Drwysh. The transparisteel ceiling allows the cobalt eldritch glow of a plasma storm deep in the nebula to fill the room. A Twi'lek with light brown skin and yellow eyes slouches in a high seat. Two helmets sit on the table. One was vaguely Mandalorian and the other had a red optical line, dim because it was powered down. The third being is a Weequay. He places his hands on the table. "I'm going to come straight to the point."

"And that point is?" I ask.

"We see through the disguise." He waved vaguely at the helmets. "You two have a reputation of being some of the most feared pirates in the Outer Rim. The Empire would have rooted you out if the hyperspace coordinates for this place hadn't somehow, years ago, disappeared from their records. But you're not real pirates. You both have families here. They keep under the scanners and appear to be unusually good at business matters."

I chuckle at that. He is right. I am not very good pirate. "I'm guessing you're going to tell us what we are."

The Weequay is still for a moment before continuing, "We know that you raid Imperial ships and depots. You use the spoils of your raids and the proceeds of your families' businesses to buy slaves. You buy them from the Empire in the guise of shipping them to some other work camp. You buy them from Hutts, the Exchange, Black Sun, or any other major criminal organization. And then you set them free."

I shrug. Only one other knew the full truth; who shared the knowledge of why this all started. I turn to the Weequay. "Pretending this is true, what of it?"

"How would you like to do the same for the Rebel Alliance?"

The Twi'lek and I look at each other. He speaks for the first time since the Weequay sat down in Basic almost free of an accent. "I think we would like that very much."


End file.
